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LOT 0020
Large Egyptian Steatite Scarab
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 3/4 in. (33.76 grams, 46 mm).
With a detailed carapace, mouth, and legs; the underside decorated with a line border enclosing a large central sma motif in the upper half, followed by a neb, men, and Khepri beetle hieroglyphs, flanked by rearing cobras.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Button and Design Scarabs, London, 1925, pl. X, no. 383, for a scarab featuring a similarly large and stylised sma design.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Phoenician Glass Eye Bead Fragments
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Glass fragments from spherical beads with eyes within a white panel on black field. 6.9 grams, 15-18 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Egyptian Carnelian Cat Amulet
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £286
Amuletic pendant of the cat goddess Bastet, sitting on a rectangular base, suspension loop behind the shoulders. 1.82 grams, 16 mm
Acquired 1990s. Property of a Staffordshire lady collector. Ex Quercus of Quonians, Lichfield, UK, 2018. Property of a Sussex, UK, teacher. Private collection, London. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. Amulets provided the wearer with the goddess's protection. Her name means ‘she of the bast [ointment jar],’ which may have contained a substance favoured by or exclusive to royalty. Originally, Bastet was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, but by the late New Kingdom, she was typically depicted with a cat's head. She is sometimes shown with kittens, emphasising her maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring. -
Egyptian Faience Crouching Goddess Amulet
Ptolemaic Period, 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Formed as a nude Aphrodite crouching on a square base, her hands raised to dress her hair; socket to reverse. 9.25 grams, 42 mm
Acquired on the UK art market during the late 20th century. From the private collection of David King (1940-2024), Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
